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The ocean isn’t acidifying, it is becoming slightly less basic. But that won’t do for scaremongering headlines.

by abtinf 7y ago

defterGoose 7y ago
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/PH https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/PH
ncmncm 7y ago
Becoming less basic is acidifying. Nobody cares about the absolute pH, except insofar as it affects wildlife and the ability of the oceans to provide protein that billions of people depend on to live. And that is being affected, as noted in TFA.
usaar333 7y ago
Acidifying literally just means dropping ph because you are introducing more acid. (increasing H+ ions)
- logfromblammo 7y ago
  The self-ionization constant of water, Kw, changes with temperature, pressure, and ionic strength. Kw is also used as cologarithm pKw. If you are not aware, X = 10^(-pX), and pX = -log(X). So a lower pH is a greater concentration of [H+] (actually [H3O+]), a lower pOH is a greater concentration of [OH-], and a lower pKw is a greater self-ionization of water. pKw decreases with increasing temperature. It decreases with increasing pressure. And it decreases with increasing ionic strength until around 0.6-0.8, then goes back up. While those are held constant, a dropping pH does indicate acidification. pH + pOH = pKw . But if they are not constant, pOH can drop at the same rate as pH, because pKw is also dropping. As long as pH and pOH are both near pKw/2, the solution is neutral. The solution is only acidifying when pH is decreasing faster than pOH. If you become slightly less basic, your pOH goes up. Under normal circumstances, that means pH is going down by an equal amount. Either way you describe it in English, de-alkalinization usually yields the same mathematical results as acidification. Deviation from this rule, which holds at standard temperature and pressure, and constant ionic strength, requires additional explanation.
Twixes 7y ago
It doesn't even matter which way the environment is going, just that it's going faster than ever. Organisms like these crabs could surely adapt to a wide range of circumstances, but only with a lot of time to evolve over. And our reckless industry is not giving them any time.
cyphar 7y ago
Acidification is the correct term to refer to something becoming more acidic (or "less basic" if you prefer). It doesn't mean that something has a pH below 7. pH is directly related to the concentration of H+ ions in solution, which is equivalent to being inversely correlated with the concentration of OH- ions in solution (a reduction in OH- ion concentration means a relative increase in H+ ion concentration).

The ocean isn’t acidifying, it is becoming slightly less basic. But that won’t do for scaremongering headlines.

by abtinf 7y ago

The ocean isn’t acidifying, it is becoming slightly less basic. But that won’t do for scaremongering headlines.

defterGoose 7y ago

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/PH https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/PH

ncmncm 7y ago

Becoming less basic is acidifying. Nobody cares about the absolute pH, except insofar as it affects wildlife and the ability of the oceans to provide protein that billions of people depend on to live. And that is being affected, as noted in TFA.

usaar333 7y ago

Acidifying literally just means dropping ph because you are introducing more acid. (increasing H+ ions)

logfromblammo 7y ago
The self-ionization constant of water, Kw, changes with temperature, pressure, and ionic strength. Kw is also used as cologarithm pKw. If you are not aware, X = 10^(-pX), and pX = -log(X). So a lower pH is a greater concentration of [H+] (actually [H3O+]), a lower pOH is a greater concentration of [OH-], and a lower pKw is a greater self-ionization of water. pKw decreases with increasing temperature. It decreases with increasing pressure. And it decreases with increasing ionic strength until around 0.6-0.8, then goes back up. While those are held constant, a dropping pH does indicate acidification. pH + pOH = pKw . But if they are not constant, pOH can drop at the same rate as pH, because pKw is also dropping. As long as pH and pOH are both near pKw/2, the solution is neutral. The solution is only acidifying when pH is decreasing faster than pOH. If you become slightly less basic, your pOH goes up. Under normal circumstances, that means pH is going down by an equal amount. Either way you describe it in English, de-alkalinization usually yields the same mathematical results as acidification. Deviation from this rule, which holds at standard temperature and pressure, and constant ionic strength, requires additional explanation.

Twixes 7y ago

It doesn't even matter which way the environment is going, just that it's going faster than ever. Organisms like these crabs could surely adapt to a wide range of circumstances, but only with a lot of time to evolve over. And our reckless industry is not giving them any time.

cyphar 7y ago

Acidification is the correct term to refer to something becoming more acidic (or "less basic" if you prefer). It doesn't mean that something has a pH below 7. pH is directly related to the concentration of H+ ions in solution, which is equivalent to being inversely correlated with the concentration of OH- ions in solution (a reduction in OH- ion concentration means a relative increase in H+ ion concentration).